Dorothea
2025 SSA
Below 5 births
About Dorothea
Dorothea is a romantic Victorian-sounding name that blends elegance, gravitas and a hint of clunkiness too. Popular in the early decades of the twentieth century, it has been off the charts since 1970, however it's definitely on the brink of a revival! In fact, it has already been making its way back into the UK Top 1000, and a recent year saw it given to 90 girls in the US — three times the number it was given to a decade prior.
A relative of Dorothy, Theodore, and Theodora, Dorothea is comprised of the same Greek elements, doron and theos, meaning "gift" and "god". It has has a long literary history, including as a clever and beautiful character in Don Quixote and the intelligent and generous heroine of George Eliot's Middlemarch.
Worthy namesakes include Dorothea Dix, nineteenth century activist for the mentally ill and Civil War nurse, and the influential documentary photographer Dorothea Lange, known for her moving portraits taken during the Great Depression. It is also a saint name, borne by Dorothea of Alexandria, Dorothea of Caesarea (the patron saint of florists), and Dorothea of Montau (saint and visionary).
Appealing nickname possibilities include Dorrie, Dolly, Doro, Dodie, Dot, Dottie and Thea, while international variants include the Spanish Dorotea, the Czech and Polish Dorota, and the Hungarian Dorina.
In English, the name would likely be pronounced as dawr-uh-THEE-uh, while in German, it is said as do-ro-TEH-a
Dorothea is also given to boys.
Pronounced dor-o-THEE-uh.
As of October 2026, Dorothea ranked #1782 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #174 in 1912, Nameberry popularity #485.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank · girls | Births · girls | US rank · boys | Births · boys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #4,930 | 28 | — | 0 |
| 2015 | #3,936 | 38 | — | 0 |
| 2016 | #3,536 | 44 | — | 0 |
| 2017 | #3,449 | 45 | — | 0 |
| 2018 | #2,818 | 60 | — | 0 |
| 2019 | #3,292 | 48 | — | 0 |
| 2020 | #2,788 | 59 | — | 0 |
| 2021 | #2,423 | 74 | — | 0 |
| 2022 | #2,727 | 63 | — | 0 |
| 2023 | #2,759 | 62 | — | 0 |
| 2024 | #2,066 | 93 | — | 0 |
| 2025 | #1,782 | 113 | — | 0 |
World rankings
Dorothea for girls
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Dorothea on lists
Famous Dorotheas
- Dorothea of BulgariaGirl
Queen consort of Tvrtko I of Bosnia
- Dorothea of SaxeGirl
Lauenburg, Queen consort of Christopher III and Christian I of Denmark and Norway
- Dorothea of BrandenburgGirl
Queen consort of Christian III of Denmark and Sweden
- Dorothea Margaretta LangeGirl
American photojournalist
- Dorothea Lynde DixGirl
American mental health activist
- Dorothea RoschmannGirl
German soprano
- Dorothea Katherine Douglass Lambert ChambersGirl
English tennis player
- Dorothea WolbertGirl
American actress
- Dorothea Margaret TanningGirl
American painter
- Dorothea JordanGirl
Anglo,Irish actress and mistress of King William IV of England
- DorotheaGirl
Princess of Denmark, Duchess of Brunswick,Luneburg
- Dorothea Maria of AnhaltGirl
Duchess of Saxe,Weimar
- Dorothea WiererGirl
Italian biathlete
- Dorothea Primrose CampbellGirl
Scottish poet
- Dorothea MackellarGirl
Australian poet
- Dorothea ChurchGirl
American model
- Dorothea SophiaGirl
Princess of Schleswig,Holstein,Sonderburg,Glücksburg, Electress of Brandenburg
- Dorothea LaskyGirl
American poet
Dorothea in pop culture
- DorotheaGirl
character in the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare
- Dorothea BrookeGirl
character in "Middlemarch" by George Eliot
- Dorothea GaribaldiGirl
character in The Cheetah Girls series
- Dorothea ArnultGirl
character in Fire Emblem Three Houses video game
- dorotheaGirl
song by Taylor Swift